Dionaea require full sun – not providing enough light is why most people are not successful in growing them. The traps on Dionaea are brightly coloured and produce nectar on their margins. Crawling and flying prey alike respond to these attractants. When prey enter the trap, they are likely to brush against the delicate trigger hairs on the leaf lobes. Each time this happens, the concentration of calcium ions in the leaf is increased. If two trigger events occur within approximately 30 seconds, either by one hair being disturbed twice or two separate hairs being disturbed, the metal ion concentration exceeds a threshold and an electrical signal is sent through the leaf, resulting in a rapid leaf closure that can take less than a second. Two stimuli are required so that distracting events such as raindrops are unlikely to trigger leaf closure.

They will help keep the flies down in your home as this is what they feed on and they do not require any other type of plant food. The pot must be permanently stood in a saucer of rain water and never tap water. If it is not possible to collect rain water then bottled water will suffice. R.O. (reverse osmosis) water, used for keeping marine fish and corals, is a perfect alternative to rain water. Darlingtonia don't like being kept in stagnant water so make sure it is refreshed regularly.

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